I have found that John Paul II's Theology of the Body is a very positive view of humanity: we are called to be Gift. It’s not really, in the end, about what we do. We are Gift and this gift includes fertility. In the theology of the body’s presentation of God’s language of love impressed on the human body, I discover that I am more than just my body, that my fertility is more than just something to be managed. It shows me how—male and female—we together reveal the very mystery of God who is love. And that makes me feel good about myself. It means the human body also has a language: love.

This new approach, which is actually as old as creation, makes me want to embrace my femininity, all of it. It makes me feel that I’m beautiful, even though I’d never win a beauty contest. It reminds me that I’m worthy of respect and that sex is holy.

Embracing something this wonderful about myself frames the meaning of my life in the horizons love and eternity. This is something I can claim as my own. It answers the deepest longing of my heart for respect, love, intimacy, and faithfulness.

Katie Elizabeth Jonson